And it is now time to do the season awards! Inspired by The Null Set, I took a break last season due to being in transition between blogs, but this season I return to do it. Starting off is part one, the character and cast awards, where individual characters and casts receive awards.

Tsuchi starts his job as a first year teacher at a kindergarten. He falls in love with a teacher, and also has one of his charges fall for him.

Why I Picked It Up: Gainax doing a show about kindergarteners? Such a strange combo, I had to see it.

Why I Finished It: Hanamaru Kindergarten is a very solid show. It never turns into something amazing, but manages to be pretty entertaining and a nice show to unwind to week after week. Given that each episode has two stories, for the most part, even if one fell flat, there was another chance to make it up. The characters weren’t that complex, but most of them worked. Especially the kindergarteners, which are too darn cute. The show did get weak in the middle with the annoying little sister, but it comes back up to the typical strength of the show, being that while it wasn’t amazing, it was solid.

But: With so many characters, they didn’t get too terribly much screentime. I would have loved to see Hinajinku more, but it didn’t happen. Also, Tsuchi has a really annoying little sister that makes for two episodes in the middle almost unbearable. The romance in the show does not deliver, and ends on a disappointing point, with a lack of conclusion. It doesn’t help that Yamamoto is a weak character who density is beyond even plausible.

Who would I recommend this to: Anyone looking for a simple show they can just relax and enjoy that doesn’t mind a whole lot of cute.

This has been quite an unusual season for moe. The moe is there, but it’s taken on some unusual forms, almost as if creators are trying to push the limits of what it means to be moe. I suppose before I continue, it’d be best to review what I consider moe. It’s possible to look up the definition, but fandom has twisted and warped the definition, and I doubt there’s one concrete definition out there. I remember when I was first trying to figure it out and found a whole range of definitions from the ones I looked up to various ones people tried to say to me, by favorite still being, “Moe are young girls that look like adults while being young. You, with your big boobs and nicely shaped body, are moe.”

The definition I’m looking at is that moe is a term for girls that come across as innocent and vulnerable, often being adorable and perfect women that don’t exist in the real world. You want to protect them, take them home with you, or even have sex with them.

I really like Hanamaru Kindergarten. However, I can’t help but wonder if this is going to be a twelve episode subtle parody without much of a plot. After all, this is Gainax, and part of me is waiting for them to them to turn this whole thing on its head. Also, I’m doubtful that this premise can stay strong for all twelve episodes, although there are a lot of characters to introduce.